West Torrington nickel mines (Coe Copper Mine; Hodges Mine; Barber Mine; Torrington Nickel Mine), Torrington (Wolcottville), Litchfield County, Connecticut, USAi
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
41° 49' 57'' North , 73° 9' 56'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Mines
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| West Torrington | 36,000 (2017) | 2.4km |
| Torrington | 34,906 (2017) | 5.1km |
| Winchester Center | 10,830 (2017) | 7.9km |
| Northwest Harwinton | 3,252 (2017) | 9.5km |
| Litchfield | 1,215 (2017) | 9.7km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Gem & Mineral Club | Bristol, Connecticut | 25km |
| Lapidary and Mineral Society of Central Connecticut | Meriden, Connecticut | 44km |
Mindat Locality ID:
23412
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:23412:3
GUID (UUID V4):
881d56c8-2dd3-4787-bc5f-f9ef95fdb551
A group of mines and prospects near each other with connecting trenches originally owned by Willard Barber and Alpheus Hodges, the pentlandite ore (with pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite) was discovered in 1855. They were worked unsuccessfully until 1877 and 1887. Before that copper was obtained from the associated chalcopyrite as the Israel Coe Mine starting in the 1830s, but was perhaps prospected at least as far back as 1752. One was worked for a time by John Buell, who also worked places in NE Litchfield several km south of these mines. Coordinates are for the Hodges mine shaft.
As summarized by Domonell (1997), in 1957, geologist William Moore conducted detailed geophysical surveys of the Hodges Mine for the Falconbridge Nickel Company of Canada and noted that the ore occurred in a mineralized dike approximately one hundred feet wide and at least 300 feet long. He conducted an extensive drilling program and had samples assayed. One hole had in the last 15 feet heavy sulfide mineralization that assayed at 2.71 percent copper and 0.60 percent nickel, or a value of approximately $24 a ton, considerably richer than the material found on the old mine dumps. The first deposit was found about 150 feet underground and about 200 feet thick, with another 200-foot wide ore body found 200 feet further west. Moore had formed the United States Nickel Corporation and approached the town about mining, but in the end the idea died due to pollution concerns and other difficulties with local regulations. The land and mineral rights are now owned by the Torrington Water Company.
Also according to Domonell (1997):
In January, 1970 Bert Thebarge, a Torrington High School senior, and his 15-year old brother, John, paid a visit to the old mine. They descended on ropes about 45 feet into the old mine shaft to ice which had formed on the surface of the water. There they discovered a yellow-green mineral, previously unknown to Connecticut growing upward on walls of the shaft. They collected about fifty pounds of the material which had the consistency of wet sand molded into lumpy shapes.
Bert eventually submitted a sample to the Yale geology department where it was identified by x-ray diffraction as szomolnokite, a rare iron sulfate.
Bert eventually submitted a sample to the Yale geology department where it was identified by x-ray diffraction as szomolnokite, a rare iron sulfate.
Merguerian (1985) notes that the sulfides occur as grains in the rocks of the Hodges Complex, a series of intrusives consisting of a gabbro-diorite pluton cross-cut by hornblendite and pyroxenite ultramafic rocks. These rocks have been metamorphosed and overprinted. Relict olivine, entstatite, hypersthene, augite and hornblende have been corroded and replaced by tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, cummingtonite, hornblende, magnesian chlorite, calcite, talc, and serpentine minerals.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
6 valid minerals.
Detailed Mineral List:
| β 'Amphibole Supergroup' Formula: AB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2 |
| β Chalcopyrite Formula: CuFeS2 |
| β 'Chlorite Group' |
| β Fluorapatite Formula: Ca5(PO4)3F |
| β Pentlandite Formula: (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
| β Pyrrhotite Formula: Fe1-xS |
| β Szomolnokite Formula: FeSO4 · H2O |
| β Violarite Formula: Fe2+Ni3+2S4 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| β | Pentlandite | 2.BB.15 | (NixFey)Ξ£9S8 |
| β | Chalcopyrite | 2.CB.10a | CuFeS2 |
| β | Pyrrhotite | 2.CC.10 | Fe1-xS |
| β | Violarite | 2.DA.05 | Fe2+Ni3+2S4 |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| β | Szomolnokite | 7.CB.05 | FeSO4 Β· H2O |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| β | Fluorapatite | 8.BN.05 | Ca5(PO4)3F |
| Unclassified | |||
| β | 'Amphibole Supergroup' | - | AB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2 |
| β | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Laurentides DomainDomain
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References
